Mother's book recounts lives of sons injured in accident

Sheryl Brown Nixon holds the book she self-published about her sons Rob and Reed, who were paralyzed in a 1995 crash. Reed is in the background.

It's tough for a lot of people to finish college, overcome major obstacles, have a successful life, and strive to help and inspire others. Imagine doing all that - as a quadriplegic.

That's the story of the lives of Reed B. and Robert S. Nixon, who were paralyzed in a motor vehicle crash 16 years ago. Their mother, Sheryl Brown Nixon, just self-published a book called "In the Blink of an Eye: The Reed and Rob Nixon Story" ($16.95, Outskirts Press). The mother of six and grandmother of 16 said the book is a story of love, courage and faith.

"I hope to encourage people that in any trials that they're going through, it really is a choice. We can choose to be happy or we can choose to be bitter and angry. The rest of our life can be wonderful or it can be awful," Mrs. Nixon said during a recent interview at the family's 26 Wiles Farm Road home.

The book begins with the phone call that Mrs. Nixon received at 9:40 p.m. April 4, 1995, telling her that four of her children had been in a car crash and that two of them, Rob and Reed, then 16 and 17, had been taken by Life Flight to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Reed was driving a van full of family members and friends home from a church meeting in Marlboro when the van flipped over near Route 20.

When Mrs. Nixon and her husband, Mark R. Nixon, a professor and department chairman at Bentley University, got to the hospital, doctors gave them the life-altering news that both boys' necks were broken and that they were paralyzed and on ventilators.

The book goes on to tell about the family's experiences and the outpouring of support from so many people, most they didn't even know.

While Rob and Reed were still in the hospital, a man who was dying of cancer had his daughters give his handicapped-accessible van to the Nixons. Shortly after that, five area builders constructed a 1,100-square-foot first-floor addition to the family's home. It included a bedroom each for Rob and Reed, a kitchen, bathroom and living area.

St. Rose of Lima parishioners sent the family a check for $4,200. Then checks came in from people from all over the country whom the family did not even know. Two months after the accident, 1,000 people raised more than $55,000 for the brothers during the first of four annual 5K road races held to benefit them.

"We have been so blessed," Mrs. Nixon said.

She said she never set out to write a book. She just recorded experiences in her journal as she has always done, thinking perhaps it would be something for her family. In early 2007, a broken ankle pretty much confined her to the house, so she used the time to transcribe 13 cassettes her husband had recorded the first year as he drove back and forth to work.

When she finished that, she learned that she would have to spend the next six weeks with a cast on the ankle, so she started pulling out pertinent information from her journal. The process of writing the book and getting it published took six years.

"These two young men are such remarkable young men. Their story needs to be told," said Mrs. Nixon. "They have blessed our family. We thought we were close before, but we are very, very close now."

The brothers' three sisters: Raelene, Renae and Natalie, and younger brother, Kent, are all married and live in Utah, Oregon and Texas. Natalie suffered a severe neck injury in the 1995 accident that left her with bouts of depression, fibromyalgia, post-traumatic stress syndrome and post-traumatic headache disorder. Kent received only minor injuries.

Rob earned a master's degree from Brigham Young University and works as a certified public accountant. He and his wife, Katie Donaldson, whose family lived in Northboro briefly and attended the same Marlboro church as the Nixons, live in southern California. Rob, who is paralyzed from the mid-chest down, has some movement in his arms and is able to drive a car and direct his wheelchair with special adaptor equipment.

Reed, who is paralyzed from the neck down, received a bachelor's degree in finance and history from Bentley. He lives at home and hopes someday to get a job in the financial field. He enjoys watching history and sports programs on television. Both brothers were outstanding track and cross-country runners at Algonquin Regional High School. Reed also has an online business where he sells sports memorabilia.

Mrs. Nixon said that because of Reed and Rob's attitude, sense of humor and determination, they have managed to do things that they were not supposed to be able to do.

Reed's life expectancy after the accident was four or five years. She said Reed almost never complains. She knows when he's not feeling well, because he doesn't joke as much.

Reed said it helps him to stay positive by setting goals and helping people. He said he hopes the book will inspire people and let them know that he and Rob are doing well and still trying to accomplish things.

He speaks to schoolchildren about his experience, and he regularly discusses the pros and cons of the American with Disabilities Act with a law class at Bentley University. Once a year, he and his primary care doctor go to the University of Massachusetts Medical School to help medical students learn ways to have good patient-doctor relationships.

"Even though unfortunate things happen to people, life goes on and you can still live a life and meet goals that you set for yourself," Reed said. "You may not be able to do all the things you previously were able to do, but you can still enjoy life."